The macroscopic effects of certain nanoparticles on human
health have long been clear to the naked eye. What scientists have lacked is
the ability to see the detailed movements of individual particles that give
rise to those effects.
In a recently published study, scientists at the Virginia
Tech Carilion Research Institute invented a technique for imaging nanoparticle
dynamics with atomic resolution as these dynamics occur in a liquid
environment. The results will allow, for the first time, the imaging of
nanoscale processes, such as the engulfment of nanoparticles into cells.